


The stranger in my brother's bed

by atir8891



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher and Mandy Milkovich are Best Friends, Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich in Love, Insecure Mickey Milkovich, M/M, Mickey has feelings and he doesn't like it, Nurse Ian Gallagher, One Night Stand, POV Alternating, POV Mandy, Protective Mandy Milkovich, Strangers to Lovers, can be read as a one-shot but I do plan to add more chapters, idk either but bear with me, loving siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22944628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atir8891/pseuds/atir8891
Summary: “Yeah, guess you’re right,” Mickey said softly, voice barely louder than a whisper. Again Mandy had to wonder what in the hell had happened to her brother, who in normal circumstances would be very much reluctant to admit that his little sister was right about anything, ever. It was just another item in the list of extremely odd behaviors she was witnessing Mickey exhibit today. And it was all down to that redheaded model-looking fucker who was currently taking a shower in their bathroom.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher & Mandy Milkovich, Ian Gallagher & Mandy Milkovich & Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Mandy Milkovich & Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 73
Kudos: 363





	1. Nice to meet you, Mandy

**Author's Note:**

> heyyy so this is my first AU, basically this idea suddenly came into my head a few days ago and boom! I was inspired to try writing again.
> 
> usual disclaimers: English isn't my first language and this is unbetaed, so any mistakes are my own

Mandy was sitting on the couch in the living room with her legs folded underneath herself, mindlessly flipping through channels looking for something half decent to watch on TV, when she spotted someone sluggishly enter the room. She glanced in the direction of the stranger, clad only in boxers and a tight tank top, and immediately took notice of his attractive features and messy head of red hair. The guy was definitely hot, but at the moment he also looked all kinds of adorable, with that soft sleepy expression on his face and a vaguely disoriented look in his eyes.

“Hi,” the man said with an easy smile while lazily combing a hand through his hair.

“Hey,” Mandy replied, with a smile of her own, still holding the remote in mid-air but giving the man all of her attention for the moment.

“Bathroom?” the redhead asked, immediately following the question with a yawn.

“Down the hall to your right,” replied Mandy, helpfully pointing in the direction he needed to go.

The man offered another polite smile and then proceeded down the hall, the clicking of the bathroom door being shut travelling to Mandy's ears a few seconds later.

She returned her eyes to the television with a small grin on her face. It wasn’t unusual for hot guys to come out of her brother’s room in the morning, although typically she would just briefly meet them when they were already on their way out of the apartment. More often than not, the dudes wouldn’t stick around until the morning at all, but sometimes her brother was either too exhausted or too drunk to kick them out during the night and so they ended up sleeping in his bed. It wasn’t a common occurrence, and she usually wouldn’t exchange actual words with the guys her brother slept with, nor were they normally as cute and adorably smiley as this one was.

She was lost in her thoughts, not really paying attention to the television, when her brother appeared in the doorway to the living room a minute later. Mandy briefly cast her eyes in his direction and noticed that her brother looked like shit. As in, more so than usual. He also had a weird look on his face, like he was nervously debating how to say what he was going to say.

“He, uh…” Mickey began, his eyes not meeting his sister’s. He seemed to take a moment to collect himself, heaved a deep sigh and tried again. “Where's-"

“The redhead?” Mandy didn’t give him time to finish the sentence, mildly annoyed that he was taking so long to spit out his question. When Mickey barely nodded, she told him, “He's in the bathroom.”

Mandy could swear she saw a look of relief crossing her brother’s face. She supposed Mickey thought the guy had left, though why he would give a flying fuck, she had no idea. She heard a faint noise coming from the bathroom then, which prompted her to add, “Sounds like he might be taking a shower, too. Fucker's making himself right at home, huh?” She tried to joke, but Mickey just nodded again, eyes downcast and shuffling his feet awkwardly where he was still standing in the doorway to the room.

Not one for pussyfooting around her brother, who was being uncharacteristically quiet and contemplative instead of being his loud brash self, after a minute she loudly exclaimed, “Why are you being so weird?”

“Fuck off, I’m not being weird,” Mickey said, finally looking her in the eyes, a scowl appearing on his features. At last Mandy was able to recognize her brother, but she wasn’t dropping the subject that easily, letting her eyebrows travel high up on her forehead to let him know she wasn’t convinced at all by his answer.

That seemed to do the trick, because Mickey was soon casting his eyes on the floor again and softening his expression, apparently ready to elaborate further.

“It’s just…” he paused and exhaled heavily, seeming to hate having to discuss this – whatever it was – with his sister but equally needing to get something off his chest. “Fuck, I wanna… I wanna ask him for his number,” he finally managed to blurt out, a slight blush coloring his pale cheeks.

“You wanna ask him his number?” Mandy had to request confirmation that she heard him right. Obviously it wasn’t that weird of a thing for a person to want to do, but this was _her brother_. He never showed any interest for his one night stands beyond their dicks before, and even that kind of interest was always utterly and completely gone by the next morning, once he was sober enough to realize he brought home just another piece of shit mediocre fuck. Maybe that was the thing, though. Maybe it wasn’t a mediocre fuck this time.

“Was the fucking that good?” she asked, more and more baffled by her brother’s odd demeanor.

“Shit, it was fucking… _mind-blowingly_ good,” Mickey replied. And was that a shy smile accompanied by a full-on fucking blush on his face? “But it's not just that though,” he continued, expression turning slightly more serious. “We, uh, we talked. You know… afterwards? Shit, I must’ve not been that drunk ‘cos for once I didn’t pass out immediately after, even though I was fucking beat.” Another shy smile, and a look on his face like he was fondly remembering something from last night. “He just started talking and I didn’t wanna go to sleep yet. I wanted to stay up and talk to him. How fucking weird is that?” he finished with a disbelieving chuckle, still not meeting his sister’s eyes.

Mandy was shocked. She had never heard her brother speak like that about anyone, especially a guy he just hooked up with the previous night. In all honesty, she didn’t think she ever saw him smile like that while talking about another human being before.

“So, you actually like him?” she asked, still working to wrap her mind around a concept that was just so foreign to her, at least when it came to her brother.

“Shit, Mandy, I don’t know. Maybe? All I know is I don’t want him to walk out that door and never see him again.” He looked exasperated with himself, like he couldn’t believe this was happening to him. He was clearly completely frustrated with the situation he found himself in. Mandy knew her brother didn’t like not being in control of his feelings and he hated having to depend on other people for anything. He was probably worried the guy wouldn’t be interested in giving him his number and _would_ end up walking out the door and disappearing forever.

Mandy could see this was genuinely important to Mickey, so even though he wasn’t exactly asking for her help, she thought she would offer some advice to the little shithead anyway.

“Fuck, okay. Look, just ask him, alright? Try to be cool… but not cold. I know that’d be your go-to move, but don’t try to act all casual and uninterested. You _are_ interested, and you need to fuckin’ let him know that in this situation,” she supplied helpfully, trying to flash her brother a semblance of a reassuring smile.

Mickey started nodding nervously while Mandy was speaking. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” he whispered, almost to himself. A few moments later, a small frown appeared in the space between his eyebrows, seeming to grow deeper the more he thought about it. “What if he says no, though?” he raised his head to look Mandy in the eye and continued, “I mean, I get the feeling he does this all the fuckin’ time, same as I do, just going from one casual hook-up to the next. What if he ain’t looking for anything more than a one-night fuck?”

Mandy studied his face for a few seconds, seeing all the tension and the worry etched into his features. Her heart ached for her older brother in that moment, because she knew for a fact he had never let himself be this open and vulnerable with anyone before, and now he was just so damn afraid of being hurt. She decided to appeal to the rational part of his brain. “What if he is, though? You won’t know until you ask him, right? I know it’d be disappointing as fuck if he ended up saying no, but it's better than playing it cool and watching him leave without having so much as made a fucking effort to stop him.”

“Yeah, guess you’re right,” Mickey said softly, voice barely louder than a whisper. Again Mandy had to wonder what in the hell had happened to her brother, who in normal circumstances would be very much reluctant to admit that his little sister was right about anything, ever. It was just another item in the list of extremely odd behaviors she was witnessing Mickey exhibit today. And it was all down to that redheaded model-looking fucker who was currently taking a shower in their bathroom. Mandy knew she kinda liked him as soon as he smiled to her, but the guy must be pretty fucking special to have this effect on her brother.

Mickey seemed to still have some doubts about the whole thing, if his furrowed brow was any indication. Mandy waited until he spoke again, “It's just… even if he was interested in going further than a casual hook-up, why would he wanna do all of that with me? I mean, come on, he’s _way_ out of my fucking league, the guy's fucking perfect. He's nice, funny and sexy as all fuck. He could literally have any guy he wanted.” His voice broke the tiniest amount as he finished speaking, a dejected look passing across his face.

“He went home with you though, didn’t he?” When Mickey nodded, a small tentative smile on his lips as he considered that thought, she continued, “And you said you two stayed up talking last night. I'm pretty sure he wouldn’t just do that with anyone, not if he didn’t enjoy their company and what they had to offer besides sex.”

“I guess I made him laugh a few times,” Mickey said, grinning more confidently now. “He told me a bit about himself and listened when I told him shit about me and actually it turns out we have tons of stuff in common,” he concluded, his big smile reaching his eyes and making them crinkle at this point.

“Ya see? I don’t know what you’re fucking worried about, sounds like you two hit it off in a big way,” Mandy reassured him with a genuine smile, pleased to see her brother looking so content and relaxed for once.

“I know, I know, I’m just fucking useless at this sort of shit. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing,” Mickey admitted the last part of his sentence quietly, like he was sharing some kind of secret.

“Hey, you don’t gotta tell me, assface. I know full well just how fucking useless you are,” Mandy told her brother, smirking playfully, their familiar teasing serving to reassure and ground them both. All she got in response from Mickey was a middle finger and an amused smirk of his own, followed by a low chuckle as he returned his eyes to the floor. But this time he looked much more relaxed than when they started this conversation, so she counted that as a win. She truly did love her brother, as annoying as the little prick could be sometimes.

They both heard the shower turning off then and Mickey looked slightly panicked for a second. He made eye contact with Mandy and muttered, “Uh, thanks. I'm gonna…”, gesturing in the direction of his room, quickly turning his body as he spoke.

Mandy nodded but Mickey didn’t see it, having already disappeared to his room. She returned her eyes to the television, but again she wasn’t paying any attention to the screen, a pleased smile plastered on her face while she thought back to her brother’s words and the slightly terrified but excited look on his face throughout their conversation.

A couple minutes later the redhead finally emerged from the bathroom. He stopped beside the couch on his way to Mickey’s room and smiled at Mandy again, while using a towel to dry his hair.

“So, are you Mickey’s roommate?” he asked cordially.

“Yeah. Well, also his sister,” Mandy replied, easily returning his smile. She could definitely see the appeal, that’s for sure.

The guy’s smile seemed to grow brighter at that piece of information, like he was excited to be meeting someone from Mickey’s family. “Cool! I’m Ian, by the way,” he introduced himself with a hand pressed to his own chest.

“Mandy,” she replied simply, still smiling to him.

“Nice to meet you, Mandy,” Ian said with a small dorky wave, quickly taking his lean body and his still beaming smile all the way across the room on his way to Mickey’s bedroom.

Mandy was frankly still a bit in shock after what she had witnessed this morning. But honestly, she was happy that her brother was letting himself accept the fact he was maybe interested in this guy. She knew it wasn’t easy for him and god knows he deserved to finally have something good in his life. Mickey would never admit in a million years to being lonely, but she guessed he couldn’t be completely satisfied with just going from one random hook-up to the next, never really making a connection with anyone.

She just hoped this Ian guy wouldn’t end up hurting her brother by rejecting him, but from what she'd seen so far, things were looking hopeful. He was nice, sweet, friendly and he didn’t hesitate introducing himself once he knew she was Mickey’s sister. Hell, most guys who woke up in her brother’s room probably didn’t even remember Mickey's name in the morning, not that he would remember theirs. They definitely wouldn’t make the effort of learning _her_ name.

But it was clear that there was something different about this guy. There was also something strangely familiar to the way he moved around their apartment, like he belonged there all along somehow. Mandy couldn’t really explain it, but in a way this stranger didn’t quite feel like one, maybe because he seemed to feel more comfortable around the siblings than anyone else had in a long time.

In any case, Mandy was pretty convinced that her brother’s luck had finally turned and she couldn’t be happier for him, genuinely. She relaxed against the back of the couch and tried to focus on what was happening on the screen again, although she was really curious to know how the conversation in the other room was going. But she wasn’t going to eavesdrop like a goddamn psycho, she would just wait till after Ian left to endlessly pester her brother for information until he finally relented and told her every single detail of what was said. You know, like a normal fucking person would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm definitely planning to keep this story going for a few chapters, I mean, they don't even interact in this one, I can't leave it like it is!! I'll be switching POVs for subsequent chapters, though I think Mandy will still be present as an outside perspective on their developing relationship, mostly 'cause I had a lot of fun writing her POV :D
> 
> let me know what you thought and I'd be happy to know where you guys think the story could go, I have no long-term plans for this xD


	2. Can't leave me hanging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go, chapter 2!! I'm really enjoying this, I hope you guys like it :)

Mickey was pacing the room nervously, desperately trying to figure out how the hell he was going to do this.

He had zero experience with this kind of thing, not just with wanting to ask a guy for his number, but with _caring_ this fucking much. Being nervous around someone, afraid to say the wrong thing and that they don’t feel the same way about you as you do about them? That had never happened to Mickey before, and he didn’t know why it was fucking happening now. All he knew was he didn’t like it. He was used to just living his own life and never letting anyone get too close, being his own man instead of allowing some dude to have this much power over him and his feelings. It was bullshit, if you asked Mickey.

But here he was, trying to come up with the best way to say what he wanted to say to the guy, hoping to hell that he wouldn’t turn him down. Because he genuinely liked him. He wanted to see him again, talk to him about inane shit, maybe go out for drinks or something – fuck, like a _date_? Mickey truly didn’t know what was fucking happening to him – and then at the end of the night, have him in his bed again. To have the chance to touch him once more and have him do the same to Mickey. Sharing that intoxicating intimacy with him like he had last night.

Mickey had never thought that sex could feel so intimate before, always treating it as a purely mechanical act where two people used each other’s bodies in order to get off. But with Ian, god… There had been a connection, Mickey guessed. He had never believed in this sort of stuff, much like he didn’t believe in Santa or the tooth fairy, but there was no other way to explain what he felt when he and Ian had looked into each other’s eyes while they were moving together, chasing their orgasms. It was fucking… magical. And he just really wanted to feel that again.

He had completely zoned out, not even realizing that he'd stopped his pacing and was currently just staring at a random spot on the floor, when he heard the door to his room open. His eyes darted in the direction of the sound and a panic settled over him as he scrambled to think of something to do with his hands, not wanting to look like he was just standing there gaping at the floor like a goddamn idiot. He turned towards his nightstand, quickly moving to rearrange random stuff on it trying to look purposeful, just as Ian was entering the room.

“Hey, you’re up,” he said with a sweet smile on his face, drying his hair with a towel.

God, he looked even more beautiful than last night. Mickey had known it wasn’t beer goggles making the redhead appear so gorgeous – he wasn’t even drinking _that_ much the previous night – but he'd thought maybe in the cold light of day at least _some_ of the attraction would wear off. Holy shit, had he been wrong. Instead, here Ian was, hair and skin still damp from the shower, looking like every wet dream Mickey will ever have in his life from this moment on.

Soon Mickey realized he'd been staring, so he shifted his eyes to look at Ian’s face, who was eyeing him with a cocky grin now. Embarrassed, he stammered, “Yeah. Yeah, man,” cursing himself internally. Fuck, wasn’t he supposed to keep his goddamn cool?

Ian was still looking at him with a slightly amused expression, but after a beat of silence he went on talking, “Met your sister. She seems nice.”

Mickey scoffed, his instinctive reaction when anyone complimented his sister in any way in front of him. But then he just shrugged and nodded, “Yeah, she's alright, I guess.” He tried to flash Ian a smile, when he realized his face probably gave away just how nervous he was because of what he was trying to work up the courage to ask the redhead. That wasn’t the look he was going for. He wanted to at least _appear_ confident, damn it. Even if he felt anything but.

After a few seconds of silence, Mickey was just about to speak again when Ian asked, “Do you have a pair of boxers I could borrow?”

Mickey stood there with his mouth gaping open for a moment, probably looking dumb as fuck. When he managed to recover, he replied, “Uh, yeah. In that dresser, first drawer,” pointing to the piece of furniture which stood in front of the bed.

Ian made his way to the dresser and opened the drawer, while Mickey’s eyes couldn’t help but follow his form as he moved through the room, getting him once again distracted from the task at hand. He got even _more_ distracted when Ian dropped the towel he had wrapped around his waist in order to slip on the fresh pair of boxers. Yeah, Mickey was fucked.

When Ian turned around again, Mickey was busy pretending to look at some random spot in the corner of the room, desperately trying not to give away the fact that he had just been ogling at Ian's perfect body, _again_. Jesus, he needed to calm the fuck down. He was getting more and more agitated, incessantly worrying about how he was coming across to Ian and how that could affect his chances with the redhead. He didn’t want him to think Mickey was just some pathetic little creep, after all. For fuck’s sake, Mickey just needed to get _a fucking grip_ already.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Ian reach for his shirt and then his jeans, and panic took over Mickey once again. Ian was clearly ready to leave, and Mickey was about to lose his opportunity to ask for his number and have the chance to see him again. If he didn’t act quickly, the whole thing was in danger of becoming nothing more than what it was supposed to be all along: just a one night stand. But Mickey wanted more than that. He wanted more from Ian. It was a surprising and scary thought, but that didn’t make it any less true. And Mickey wasn’t going to let his fear stop him from getting what he wanted.

As the redhead was finishing getting dressed and had just reached for his phone on the nightstand, Mickey finally decided to just fucking go for it, “Hey, uh… I was wondering, you wanna do this again sometime? Think maybe I, uh, I could get your number?” He cleared his throat weakly, his mouth suddenly feeling incredibly parched for some reason. But it was done. He’d put it out there. Now it was up to Ian to either accept… or tell him to fuck off. Mickey was really hoping he wouldn’t tell him to fuck off.

Ian looked somewhat shy all of a sudden, ducking his head and scratching the back of his hair nervously, avoiding eye contact with Mickey. _Ah fuck, here we go, he's trying to think of a nice way to turn me down_ , Mickey thought sullenly. Somehow the whole display and the idea that Ian wanted to try and be nice to him made the guy even more endearing and perfect in Mickey’s eyes, but his heart was constricting painfully at the thought of being rejected by Ian. Even if he was kind of expecting it, anyway. It still hurt like a bitch, there was no denying that.

But then Ian started speaking, “Um…”, he let out a small timid chuckle and looked up at Mickey through his eyelashes. Mickey was fucking _smitten_. “Yeah, of course you can have my number. I was gonna ask for yours before I left, anyway.”

Mickey was stunned. His jaw was hanging open for what felt like an embarrassing amount of time, but in reality it was probably only a couple of seconds. He closed his mouth quickly, before opening it again to mumble, “Uhh, okay, cool,” accompanying his words with a nervous little nod and a shy smile of his own, which turned brighter and brighter the more he realized how well things had turned out for him.

Mickey had been so convinced Ian was going to say no, fruitlessly attempting to prepare himself for the worst, that in that moment, an instant relief washed over him like a cool shower on a hot summer’s day. He couldn’t help but feel warm inside – maybe even _happy_? He wasn’t sure he knew how to identify that feeling – at the thought that not only Ian had agreed to see him again, but he’d planned to ask for Mickey’s number himself all along. That meant that even if Mickey had been dumb enough to talk himself out of it, he'd still have had the chance to see Ian again.

Because Ian _liked him_. Ian wanted to spend more time with him. Even right now, he was standing there throwing bashful smiles Mickey’s way, looking cute as all fuck, also courtesy of his bright red hair sticking up in every direction. Mickey couldn’t believe his fucking luck, and was pretty sure he was sporting the dumbest fucking smile in existence on his dumb fucking face, but he honestly couldn’t give a rat's ass at the moment.

They exchanged numbers, and a few minutes later Mickey was escorting Ian to the front door of the apartment. Ian turned around as soon as he crossed the threshold, still being all shy and adorable, alternating between looking at the floor and glancing back at Mickey. For his part, the raven-haired man was casually leaning against the doorframe with one side of his body, his cheeks starting to hurt he was smiling so damn hard.

“So, uh, you'll call me? Or… Or I’ll call you,” Ian ventured.

“You bet,” Mickey replied with a soft smile. He was starting to get some of his confidence back, and he was sure it was mostly thanks to Ian. The guy had the ability of simultaneously making him nervous as fuck and more comfortable in his own skin than he'd ever felt before. Which is why Mickey felt compelled to suddenly dart forwards, grab ahold of the nape of Ian's neck and drag him towards himself for a passionate kiss. After an initial moment of shock, Ian went willingly and melted into the kiss, bringing his arms around Mickey’s waist to hold him close.

They pulled apart breathlessly after a while, grinning at each other, eyes darting all over the other’s face, drinking each other in. Eventually, pulling his lips into a softer smile, Ian took a few steps backwards as he quietly murmured, “Bye.”

“Bye,” Mickey replied, a contented smile on his face as he watched Ian leave.

He stayed in the doorway for a few more seconds, smiling and chuckling to himself, not giving a fuck how dumb he must look. Fuck it, he was happy. No way was he going to apologize for that.

After a bit, he turned on his heels to make his way back into the apartment and closed the door. He was lost in his thoughts, still blissfully smiling to himself, when his sister’s voice brought him back to earth.

“I take it you didn’t fuck things up, then, asshole?” Mandy said, smirking.

He'd honestly forgotten she was even home. He grimaced at her choice of words, because that was exactly what he'd been afraid of doing. Fucking things up for himself, screwing his chances with Ian. But he didn’t, he quickly reminded himself. Everything had gone way better than he could’ve expected.

“Nah, no one fucked anything up, slutbag. Your ass didn’t need to be so worried. 'm going to my room to sleep some more, it's way too fucking early in the morning for me to be up anyway.” Not to mention he felt fucking exhausted after the emotional whirlwind he went through since he woke up.

“Hey wait, you fucker, now you gotta tell me what he said! You can’t leave me hanging like this, dickwad!” Mandy shouted, scrambling to quickly get up from the couch and catch up to him before he could lock himself in his room.

She felt like she had a right to know details, goddamn it. She was emotionally invested in this shit now, and there was simply no turning back anymore. She was now a part of this. If she was honest with herself, to her mild surprise and annoyance, she was actually dying to know what would be next for her older brother and that beautiful redheaded stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought in the comments <3


	3. You again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is all from Ian's POV, so lots of smitten!Ian coming your way :D
> 
> hope you like it!

Ian was walking briskly along the sidewalk, trying to bury himself deeper into his coat to stave off the chill in the air as much as possible. The harsh wind was turning his cheeks bright red, but he wondered if the physical reaction was also caused at least in part by the thoughts that were swirling through his head at the moment. Thoughts of the intriguing man he had just said goodbye to, with the heartfelt promise to see each other again soon.

Ian couldn’t wait. He felt a rush of excitement thinking about the next time he would be in the same space as Mickey, and if he was honest with himself, even the idea of simply hearing his voice through the phone made him feel unbelievably giddy with anticipation. Ian hadn’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. He considered himself a relationship guy, but in the last few months he'd been busy playing the field, after going through a series of bad dating experiences that had left him feeling broken and disheartened.

Truth was, basically all of his past relationships had brought him more misery than joy, in retrospect. Most of the guys he'd dated had ended up treating him like shit, and he always stayed with them way longer than he should have out of an irrationally optimistic drive to try and fix things no matter how bad they got. Ian knew he had a tendency to pick guys that were wrong for him, always seemingly settling for something that wasn’t good because he was afraid nothing better would come along anyway. For fear of being alone.

But he was trying to put a stop to this unhealthy behavior, which is why he'd been happy enough to just have casual one night stands when the mood struck for the past few months. He was focusing on other aspects of his life – his job, his family, catching up with his friends – so he decided on giving up the dating game, at least for the time being. He could honestly say he was happy with the situation, and didn’t miss the complications and the endless heartache that seemed to accompany his every attempt at a relationship.

He was also afraid of getting hurt again. Of convincing himself that a guy was worth pursuing only to quickly realize that he was yet another self-involved piece of shit only intent on breaking Ian’s heart and destroying his confidence.

But with Mickey… well, things had been different pretty much from the start. Ian was used to having to strike up some kind of casual conversation immediately preceding hook-ups with the guys he fucked. There was almost a script that he followed. Easy subjects to talk about that wouldn’t give too much away and wouldn’t give anyone any ideas as to the current interaction ever possibly being about more than just meaningless sex.

And yet with Mickey conversation came so easy, Ian didn’t need to resort to his usual script at all. There was something so refreshing, so unaffected about the way he carried himself. Ian liked his attitude a lot. No nonsense, no bullshit. Mickey was probably the most genuine person he'd ever met in his life and Ian felt incredibly drawn to that. He sensed that Mickey held himself back a bit, and he was extremely curious to find out more about the guy. To find out everything he could about him.

After their night together Ian found himself feeling even more attracted to this mystery of a man. Getting to meet his sister had seemed to him like finding a precious piece of a puzzle he couldn’t wait to solve. The way Mickey had apparently seriously struggled with asking for his number had only sent Ian further into the depths of infatuation. The adorable and endearing nervousness that the black-haired man had displayed was yet another reason for Ian to feel both really intrigued by and incredibly attracted to him.

He'd already planned to ask for Mickey’s number because in all honesty he couldn’t bear the thought of never having the chance to see him again. But when Mickey had made the first move like that, clearly at great emotional cost to himself, any residual doubt in Ian’s mind had dissipated instantly. He somehow felt like he could trust Mickey. Maybe it was stupid, since they didn’t really know each other, but Mickey was so different from anyone Ian had ever dated, from anyone he'd ever met, in fact. And Ian knew he needed someone different in his life. Someone to help wash all the bad memories away and give him hope that the right person for him was out there after all.

God, was Ian getting ahead of himself? He thought maybe he was. He had a tendency to get overexcited about things way too quickly, he couldn’t deny it. As he continued his trek along the sidewalk, his anxiety started creeping in, making him worry that his thoughts were moving too fast and that he needed to reign this in a little bit. In the end, he and Mickey didn’t really know that much about each other. Apart from everything else, Ian could have misinterpreted Mickey’s intentions when he asked for his number. Was it possible that all he wanted from Ian was to hook up again? Ian had a history of insecurity when it came to the idea that guys only really wanted him for his body and his sexual prowess, so that’s where his mind naturally gravitated to in this kind of situation.

But no, that wasn’t the case here. He tried to remind himself of Mickey’s cute shy smiles and the look of relief on his face when Ian had told him he planned to ask for his number anyway. There was no way that all of that didn’t mean that Mickey wanted more than just meaningless sex from him. And Mickey was just so genuine that it had warmed Ian’s heart to see him be so vulnerable and open to a possible rejection like that.

Ugh, Ian was now desperately cursing his insecurities and his anxieties for making him so antsy about the whole thing. He was also trying to determine if he should patiently wait for Mickey to be the one to call him or if he should say ‘screw it’ and be the first to reach out and ask him out. He would probably end up calling Mickey in the next few minutes if left to his own devices, so he decided to put the captivating man out of his mind for the time being – as much as he was physically able to anyway – and just focus on his day at work. Yeah, that seemed like the most sensible decision right now and Ian felt a little bit calmer after taking it, sensing some weight being lifted from his anxious, fretting mind at least for a while.

___________________________________________________________________________________ 

Ian got to the end of his shift at the hospital where he worked as a nurse mostly managing to not let thoughts of a certain blue-eyed man distract him too much. He did check his phone during breaks though, with the vague hope that maybe Mickey would’ve reached out to him already, but remembering not to feel too disappointed when he saw no new notifications. It was still early in the day, and even if Mickey didn’t want to meet up that night it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, considering they'd met only the night before. Ian was trying his best to remain rational about the whole thing, and he was pretty proud of himself for succeeding in not freaking himself out _too much_.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t really stupidly happy when twenty minutes after the end of his shift, just as he was on his way home, a call from the man himself came through on his phone. He tried to keep his voice steady when he picked it up, not wanting to sound _too_ affected by the excitement he was feeling at the moment.

“Hey Mickey,” he breathed into his phone, not managing to suppress his beaming smile.

“Hey,” came Mickey’s sexy voice on the other end. God, the visceral effect he had on Ian was truly astounding. After a few seconds of silence, Mickey continued, “So, uh, I was thinking, you wanna maybe hang out again tonight?”

An even brighter smile spread through Ian's face, a warmth settling over him at the thought that Mickey was as eager to see him as Ian was. In his enthusiasm, though, he failed to realize he was taking way too long to reply, which caused Mickey to suddenly utter, “Shit, sorry. I knew it, it’s too soon, ain’t it? Should’ve waited a couple of days to call you, you’re probably gonna be busy tonight anyway.”

The dejectedness in Mickey's tone broke Ian’s heart. He promised himself he was going to do everything he could to ensure Mickey knew how much Ian wanted him and was genuinely into him. “No! No, I promise, it's not too soon at all and I definitely don’t have any plans tonight,” he hastened to say, trying to reassure the other man. “I was actually hoping you'd call. Otherwise I’d have probably ended up calling you myself to see if you wanted to do anything tonight, ‘cause you know… I kinda really wanna see you again,” he added, purring his words down the line using the most seductive tone he could muster. Everything he was saying was the truth, and he needed Mickey to _know_.

The small chuckle from the other man had Ian’s heart melting and his legs wobbling. With a low voice, soft like a caress, Mickey said, “Good. ‘Cause I kinda really wanna see you again too.”

Ian was buzzing with energy. Not only was he going to see Mickey again soon, but every interaction with the man convinced him more and more that what they could have together was the real thing. He was excited and more than ready to explore this further with Mickey. With a pleased smile evident in his voice, he told Mickey, “Great. Name a time and place. I'll be there.”

___________________________________________________________________________________ 

Several hours later the two men were getting back into Mickey’s apartment, constantly exchanging flirty glances and both bubbling with laughter, not even sure what exactly was filling them with such mirth in that particular moment, but neither of them giving a shit anyway. Ian's head was swimming with every pleasant feeling he'd ever experienced in his life. He was having the best night and he was growing more and more ridiculously attracted to the other man the more time he spent with him. He felt fucking elated, to be honest.

“Hey, you wanna watch some TV for a while, maybe have a couple more beers?” Mickey suggested in the midst of his giggles, gesturing vaguely towards the couch while he put away their coats.

“Sure, sounds good,” Ian answered with an easy smile, crossing the room and lazily dropping down on the couch.

“Okay, ’m just gonna go take a leak, be right back.” Mickey nodded his head in the direction of the hallway and started drunkenly making his way towards the bathroom.

Ian just nodded in reply, and as soon as Mickey disappeared from view he reached his hand across the couch, trying to get to the remote control. He was stopped in his motion by a sudden voice coming from behind him, startling him.

“Huh, it's you again,” Mandy said, with a slightly clipped voice.

Ian quickly turned his upper body towards her, fixing his wide eyes on hers, “Um, yeah. Nice to see you again, Mandy.” He attempted a polite smile, though he was feeling a bit uneasy under her glare.

Mandy seemed to very briefly react to Ian using her name, but then resumed her previous stern expression and continued, “Listen, numbnuts. I don’t know you, so I have no idea what your angle is here, but I wanted to give you a quick warning just in case. If you plan on fucking my brother over _in any way_ , you should know that I won’t hesitate to come find you, and when I do, I’ll cut your precious dick off and make you fucking eat it. Do we understand each other, shithead?”

Ian was looking at her with a bewildered expression, not finding it in himself to utter a single word but instead just managing to quickly and nervously nod his head a few times.

Mandy gave a curt nod in return and before leaving she just said, “Good. Night then, _Ian_ ,” putting extra emphasis on his name and sneering in a way that made him wince.

Ian was left there more puzzled than anything else. Mickey’s sister definitely had an intimidating air about her, but he honestly had no intention of hurting Mickey or screwing him over in any way, so he didn’t have any reason to fear retaliation from Mandy, really. And he supposed he understood her protective instincts towards her brother. He was even glad Mickey had someone in his life who was so fiercely protective of him.

Just as the door to Mandy's room slammed shut, Mickey came back into the living room and Ian turned to him seeing a worried expression on his features. Ian probably had a weird look on his own face right about then, and Mickey must’ve guessed what might have happened. Exasperated, Mickey just sighed, “Shit, the fuck did my bitch of a sister say to you now?”


	4. Friends already

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here you go guys, it's a fluffy one!! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, hope you like it too :)

Ian woke up on his side, with his arm wrapped around the warm body thar lay beside him. He instinctively nuzzled closer, smiling big with his eyes still shut, a feeling of contentedness overtaking his whole being. He began trailing gentle kisses down the other man’s neck, stroking his chest with his hand as he moved his whole body even closer. Ian’s smile grew big again when soft little noises started to escape the waking man's lips.

“Morning,” Ian murmured lowly into Mickey’s ear.

Mickey slowly turned around in his arms then. “Morning,” he mumbled around a sleepy little smile that had Ian’s heart skip a beat.

Ian was just raking his eyes all over the gorgeous man's face, marveling at the perfect lines that constituted his features. He felt wide awake as he contemplated soft, messy black hair, long eyelashes and luscious full lips. Mickey wasn’t feeling quite as awake though, his eyelids stubbornly preventing Ian from gazing into the lovely blue of his irises. Mickey, as Ian was coming to realize, was decidedly _not_ a morning person.

“You gonna open your eyes for me?” Ian asked, punctuating his question with a soft kiss on each eyelid, before proceeding to do the same to his nose and cheekbones.

“Mm, in a minute,” replied Mickey in a raspy voice that was doing all sorts of things to Ian. God, he could spend the rest of the day just coaxing Mickey from sleep, content with watching the man be his adorable cute-ass self like he was at the moment. He was technically free to do that too, since this was his day off from work, as he'd told Mickey the previous night. But after trying unsuccessfully to rouse Mickey for a while and quickly realizing that if he tried to take it further than gentle kisses and caresses they’d end up never getting out of bed, he came up with a different plan altogether.

“What d’you say I make you some breakfast, hmm? Would you wake up then?” Ian asked the still semi-unconscious man.

“Nah man, this is my apartment, if anything _I_ should be the one to make you something,” came Mickey’s slurred reply, some of the words said around a yawn.

“I don’t mind. I like cooking breakfast. I make a mean pancake, you know,” Ian said, lips still pecking his face with kisses every couple of seconds and hand stroking Mickey’s side. When he got a quiet little hum and a lazy grin from Mickey, he added, “Besides, you can’t even open your eyes yet. I'm way more awake than you, so _I_ should make breakfast for you.”

Mickey seemed to make an unparalleled effort to pry his eyes somewhat open, just to be able to say, “Fuck off, see? I can open my eyes just fine.” A couple of seconds later his eyelids were shutting once again, his eyelashes fluttering as he nuzzled his head into the pillow in a way that made Ian's heart melt.

Ian chuckled at the other man's protests and offered, “It's okay, you know. I really don’t mind. You should get some more sleep, I know I wore you out last night.”

Despite still refusing to open his eyes, Mickey’s eyebrows went all the way up his forehead at that. “And I didn’t wear _you_ out? Bitch, we wore _each other_ out, you passed out like, _immediately_ after.”

After one last quick kiss to Mickey’s lips, Ian slowly made his way out of the bed, intent on looking for some clean boxers to wear. “And yet I'm the one standing here feelin’ all refreshed and ready to start the day, so who wore the other out the most, huh?” He was having so much fun teasing Mickey like this, the blinding grin on his face being evidence of that. The simple, effortless familiarity between them will never cease to surprise and delight him.

His last remark must’ve annoyed the other man, because he found himself dodging a pillow that Mickey blindly threw at him from the bed. Then Mickey just snorted lowly and mumbled something into his own pillow that sounded a lot like “Smug fucker” and made himself more comfortable by turning to lie on his stomach. Ian took a few seconds to admire the curve of his ass underneath the thin sheets with a grin on his face that Mickey couldn’t see, before announcing, “’Kay then, I'm gonna see about making that breakfast. Bet you’re gonna come running once you smell that delicious bacon I’m gonna cook you.”

The last thing Ian heard before clicking the door shut was more grumbling coming from Mickey’s form on the bed, which made his fond smile grow even bigger. There was no way he'd be able to wipe that smile off his face even if he wanted to.

____________________________________________________________________________

Ian spent the first ten minutes in Mickey’s kitchen trying to locate the necessary ingredients and utensils and after that he actually set to work on making breakfast. Just as he was mixing the batter for the pancakes in a large bowl, he heard a voice behind him, once again startling him just like the previous night.

“I see you're making yourself right at home,” said Mandy with a smirk, slowly approaching the entrance to the kitchen and going to seat herself at the small table.

Ian just frowned while looking at her. He honestly had no idea how to approach her, afraid that whatever he said would lead to more hostility on her part, just because maybe she’d already decided she didn’t like him. But she was looking like she was expecting him to say something, so he shrugged and said, “Yeah, I just thought I'd make some breakfast since I was up.” He kept his expression stern, wanting to assess her mood and her attitude towards him on this fine morning. He wasn’t going to let an overprotective sister bring him down, he was feeling far too content and cheerful for that.

Mandy sensed the tension coming from the redhead. He was a long way away from the dopey smiley fucker she had known him to be the previous two times she'd met him. She guessed her behavior from last night was probably to blame for the abrupt change. In fairness, she’d had quite a lot to drink when Ian and her brother had stumbled home the night before, and she _had_ been accused of being a mean drunk once or twice in her life.

She suddenly found herself feeling regretful over upsetting Ian in any way with her words and harsh attitude. Truth was, she had no reasonable cause for concern when it came to Ian hurting her brother. Sure, they didn’t really know this guy, but he'd have to be a pretty fucking good actor to be faking his sweet disposition and adorably dorky nature, and there was no logical reason why he would do that anyway.

She guessed she was just used to not put her trust in people too soon and to believe they always have some sort of ulterior motive, partly because of her home life growing up and because of the kind of guys she’d seemed to attract over the years. Usually when something – or someone – looked too good to be true, that's because they were. And they would reveal themselves to be the biggest scumbag on the planet soon enough.

But right now, she was sort of missing this particular guy’s dumb smile and she just wanted to be nice to the man who was apparently making her brother happier than he'd been in years. She supposed it was worth it to make a damn effort and be at least somewhat fucking civil, if not actually friendly.

“That’s actually really nice of you to make breakfast for Mickey,” she said to Ian's utter surprise, evident in his wide eyes, parted mouth and the way he suddenly stopped stirring the pancake batter. She chuckled slightly at the visual before returning serious and continuing, “Hey, by the way, I'm sorry about last night. I’d had way too much to drink, and people tell me I can get a bit mean when I’m drunk.” She flashed Ian what she hoped came out as an apologetic smile, eagerly waiting for his reaction.

Ian seemed to somehow recover after the initial shock and closed his gaping mouth before opening it again to speak. “It's okay. I’ve been threatened with worse,” he said with a reassuring and slightly teasing smile on his face. As he resumed his stirring in the bowl that he was still holding to his chest, he added, “Hey, I'm probably making way too much food here, you’re welcome to join us for breakfast if you want.”

His gentle, sweet smile was continuing to have a charming effect on Mandy, who could only nod, smile back and reply, “Sure, thanks.”

Ian turned away from her to carry on with his work, his grin turning victorious as he rejoiced in the discovery of this new, nicer side to Mickey’s sister that he had just witnessed. He really wanted to make a good impression on her, not only because he planned to stay in Mickey’s life for a while now that he'd entered it, but also because she reminded him a lot of Mickey and genuinely thought they could make great friends if given the opportunity.

Just as he was finishing flipping pancakes and serving up the bacon onto the plates he found in one of the cabinets, Mickey decided to finally make his appearance in the kitchen. Ian turned his head to look at him as soon as he heard him speak. “Hey, my bitch sister giving you shit? I really fucking hope not, for her sake.” Mickey was glaring menacingly at Mandy while speaking to Ian, prompting her to flip him off from her seat at the table.

Ian waited for Mickey to stop the staring contest with his sister and instead turn to look him in the eyes before responding, “Nah, me and Mandy are getting along just fine, aren’t we, Mandy?”. He shot a smile at her, catching an amused and pleased look on her face.

“Yep. You know, Mickey, I'm actually starting to like him way more than I like you. How ‘bout that, dickhead?” She was smirking mischievously at her brother but she appeared as relaxed as Ian had seen her these past few days.

Mickey sneered at his sister, then returned his attention to Ian. “Mh, so you’re great friends already, huh?” He had gotten really close to Ian by now, his body pressed against the redhead’s side as he put his chin on Ian’s shoulder to look at what he was doing at the stove.

“M-mh, yep,” Ian replied, fighting a dopey grin on his lips, especially when Mickey moved his head to press his own lips to Ian’s shoulder just as his right hand came to stroke the small of Ian’s back. Mickey hummed sleepily and Ian thought right then and there that he'd never felt more content and at peace in his life like right in that moment. He suddenly had this overwhelming feeling he hadn’t experienced in a really long time. He felt at home.

For her part, Mandy was blissfully watching the happy couple from her vantage point at the kitchen table. She knew they technically weren’t a couple yet, it was obviously too soon for that after only two dates-slash-hookups. But they certainly acted like one already. She had never seen two near strangers be that comfortable around each other and it was warming her heart that her brother had found something so beautiful as this.

She didn’t know that much about Ian, but from the way he'd acted around her when she was being so hostile towards him, she could see that he was tough when he needed to be, and he'd probably been hurt a fair amount of times already in his young life. That notion made her really happy for him too, that he had found someone like Mickey, who would always treat him right.

God, her thoughts were turning way too fucking sappy for her liking. These lovesick motherfuckers were really out here melting her frozen, unapologetically cynical heart, actually trying to make her believe in true love and all that bullshit. But as she looked at their contented smiles and the soft looks in both their eyes as they stared at each other, well… she really wouldn’t have it any other fucking way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would love to know your thoughts! and now off to figure out how to give this story a nice satisfactory ending :))


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go, it's the last one!! A slightly longer chapter this time, and one I'm pretty proud of
> 
> Hope you've enjoyed this little journey with me, I know I have :))

_10 months later_

“Mick, come on! You gotta get up now or we’re gonna be late!”

Mickey scrunched up his face and groaned into his pillow, grumpy and annoyed as fuck. All he wanted was to be allowed to get back to sleep and stay in the comfort of his bed for another hour or four, preferably with his boyfriend’s body wrapped around his own. But the fucker was up and probably already dressed, now insisting Mickey do the same, disturbing his peaceful slumber in the process.

And yeah, Mickey knew he agreed to this weeks ago, but still.

He turned to lay with his back flat on the bed, squinting his eyes against the light that was coming in from the large window. God, the things he will do for that gorgeous, sexy jackass. Mickey heard him move around the apartment, feet padding just outside their bedroom door, and as annoyed as he felt just a few moments ago, he couldn’t help the soft little smile that was spreading across his face. Jesus Christ, he loved that man. His mere presence inside Mickey’s apartment soothed him to no end. Gave him a strange sort of feeling of peace.

It was wild to think about how much things had changed in the past months. At the start of the year, he’d thought his life was going to continue to consist of the same old shit as always: going to work, bickering with his sister, and bringing home random dudes that he could fuck and then kick out before morning. And while the first two things were very much still a part of his existence, something had fundamentally changed when it came to his sex life. Jesus, his _love life_ , now.

He was _in love_. He had a boyfriend, an actual live-in boyfriend who he was in an actual loving relationship with, for the very first time in his life. Mickey still couldn’t believe it sometimes. It hadn’t been easy to get used to the idea, of course. Fuck, he had enough trust issues and deep-rooted insecurities that it’s a wonder he fucking managed to at all. Until not that long ago he'd been convinced he would always be alone, that it would just be him and Mandy in that apartment until one day she’d finally find someone to shack up with and then he would _truly_ be utterly and completely alone. He'd never imagined that his concept of family could possibly extend to anyone else besides his sister.

But then suddenly there was Ian.

And Mickey’s world had changed.

It seemed to have happened both quickly and gradually, in a way he couldn’t quite understand. He fell for the redhead almost immediately, undoubtedly before their first night together was even over. But he sort of fell for him before he could wholly comprehend what falling for someone meant, what changes it would bring to his life and to the way he thought about the world and his place in it, even. So it had definitely been a slow process, to go from never having felt something so powerful and never having let himself be so vulnerable for someone, to accepting that this weird, new, but wonderful thing was happening to him.

And Ian himself had been wonderful through it. That had certainly helped a lot.

He was so patient with him, taking things slow when Mickey had asked him to but becoming an adorable, eager puppy every time Mickey did something that showed him how comfortable he was taking their relationship to the next level. Like when Mickey had asked him to move in after just a couple of months of dating. Mickey wanted Ian around all the time so it'd been a no-brainer, but the sheer happiness displayed on Ian’s face when he’d asked made him even more glad of his decision. Mickey quickly realized that making Ian happy was fast becoming one of his priorities in life.

So yeah, sometimes it took work, on both their parts. But it was worth it for Mickey, and he hoped Ian felt the same way. They always seemed to meet in the middle, both willing to do what it took to make the relationship work and make each other happy.

And that’s how Ian became family.

It wasn’t just Mickey and Mandy anymore, it was Mickey, Mandy and Ian. It had certainly helped that those two had become best friends, which made it possible for the three of them to all live together in the same apartment for months now.

Sometimes Mickey found himself thinking that he wished Mandy could find someone just like he had. She deserved to be happy too. And, a little bit selfishly, he thought of a future when he and Ian could live by themselves instead of sharing the apartment with Mickey’s sister. He wasn’t going to kick her out or anything, he liked having her around, but… it was true he was thinking more and more about the future. The future with Ian. The next steps in their life together.

Yeah, Ian was his family… of course, that meant Mickey had to deal with Ian’s family of origin, too. Which is exactly what he would be forced to do today. Stupidly, he'd agreed to go to the Gallagher house for Christmas day with Ian and Mandy. He'd pretended to only be saying yes to the less-than-enticing prospect due to the promise of plenty of food and booze, but actually it'd been Ian’s big, pleading green eyes that had swayed him. He just couldn’t say no to the asshole.

It’s not that he didn’t like Ian’s siblings or anything. Fiona was alright, if a little too judgy sometimes. Lip was a bit of an arrogant prick, but then again Mickey never saw much of him since the fucker was off at college most of the time. The younger ones – Debbie, Carl and Liam – were cool, it was easy to shock them with his stories and it seemed to please Ian whenever Mickey made them laugh, so no complaints there. He really liked the Gallaghers' neighbors, Kev and Vee, too. It was just a bit much when they were all together, which Mickey had been subjected to a couple of times before for some impromptu barbecues this last summer.

So it could be said he wasn’t exactly looking forward to spending Christmas day with the boyfriend’s family.

Things were always so easy when it was just him and Ian. Hell, even when it was the two of them and Mandy, to a point. But he felt like Ian’s family was his family too. He wanted it to be. And he guessed in the end, that’s the way it is with family. They can be a little much, but you love them anyway. He knew Ian himself felt that way about the Gallaghers sometimes, so he supposed it was normal. He and Ian were going to get through today together, like they always did.

Mickey groaned again and heaved himself up so he could sit up on the bed, digging the heels of his palms into his eye sockets while still sporting a deep frown on his face. Just then Ian appeared standing in the doorway to their room, a fond, dopey grin on his lips as he witnessed his boyfriend slowly coming back to the land of the living.

“Mick, I’m serious, you gotta get up now. It’s already pretty late,” Ian said in a sweet, soft tone despite the urgency of his words.

Mickey looked up at him, still frowning but with a hint of a smirk forming. “I'm up, I'm up, don’t get your panties in a bunch, Gallagher. Not like we'll be missing much if we get there a little late. In fact,” he raised one eyebrow seductively and continued, “you _could_ even get in the shower with me, help me wake up right.” He was full on smirking and wiggling his eyebrows at this point, hoping to leave Ian no choice but to comply.

“But I’ve _already_ showered,” Ian practically whined, his weak, albeit very rational protest having already lost the battle against his far more powerful need to do whatever Mickey asked of him right now.

“So?” Mickey said in the most sexy, raspy voice, as he slowly got up from the bed and walked closer and closer to Ian. Mickey got right in front of his boyfriend, who was fully dressed while Mickey was just in his boxers, and fisted his hands in the material of Ian's shirt, looking up at him through his lashes.

Ian lost himself in Mickey’s eyes for the next few seconds, his resolve crumbling with every passing instant. Suddenly he growled and grabbed Mickey by the back of his thighs, hoisting him up on his waist and starting to carefully lead them towards the bathroom. “You’re the worst, you know?” he whispered harshly into Mickey’s ear.

Mickey was already busy sucking a spot on his neck as he held on to his boyfriend, his hands lovingly combing through red hair. He angled his head and breathed into Ian’s ear, lust filling his voice, “Shut the fuck up, you know I’m the best. Now get us in that shower so I can fucking show you.”

____________________________________________________

“I can’t believe we fucking survived that,” Mandy sighed as soon as they entered the apartment later that day. She made a beeline for the couch, intent on kicking her shoes off and putting her feet up as soon as possible.

“You can say that again,” Mickey slurred after a snort. “I'm so fucking beat I think I’m just gonna pass out for like an hour or something. Spending the whole day with your family ain’t no walk in the park, Gallagher. I need a fucking nap to recharge or what-the-fuck-ever.”

“The whole day? We were only there for like four hours, Mick!” Mickey just made a face and a dismissive sort of noise. “And anyway, you sure it was spending time with my family that tired you out? It wasn’t the amount of booze and food you gorged on?”

“Fuck off, haven’t had that much. Of either.” Ian didn’t really have it in him to argue with Mickey, looking at him as he was with such a cute scowl on his face. His boyfriend was clearly very much in need of that nap, whatever the reason.

“Uh-uh, whatever you say. You go take that nap, I'll come wake you up later,” Ian said with a sweet smile.

Mickey made an appreciative noise and raised his eyebrows high on his forehead, while Mandy responded with a disgusted sound and a sneer from her seat on the couch. Ian just laughed lightly and watched as his boyfriend finally turned on his heels and sluggishly made his way to their bedroom.

Ian was feeling much less tired than his partner. He was actually feeling pretty wired after the day he’d just spent with all the people he loved the most. He went to plop himself down on the couch next to Mandy, hoping to take this opportunity to discuss something he'd been thinking about for a while with his best friend. That’s if he could find the courage to bring up the subject.

“So, did you have fun today? I know my family can be a lot, but…” he trailed off, wanting to hear what she thought about them.

“Nah, they were alright. I guess me and Mick are just… not really used to this kind of family gathering, so it can take a lot from us. But I actually think he had fun too,” she told her friend, reassuringly.

“Really, you think?” Ian asked, biting his lower lip. He relaxed slightly when she smiled and nodded her head. “Okay, good. And yeah, I get it. Mickey’s told me a bit about how your family was growing up, I guess we had pretty different upbringings, huh?” A sad expression settled on his features as he looked at her carefully.

“Yeah, you can say that again.” She was biting her lip too now, lost in memories she tried not to dwell on too often or for too long. She shook her head and tried to bring the conversation back to less distressing subjects. “Really, though. Considering how bad Mickey usually is in social situations, I'd consider that a fucking roaring success. I mean, I think he actually likes _some_ of your siblings, at least. And he wasn’t actively a dick to any of them, so I’d say it all went pretty damn well.”

Her genuine smile warmed Ian’s heart, and he eagerly reciprocated it. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Fuck, I'm so happy it went well. You guys are my family just like they are, you know that right?” His eyes were sparkling with emotion. He needed her to know how much he meant it. Mickey and Mandy _were_ family to him.

“Of course we know, Ian. And you know we feel the same.” She rested her hand on his arm, her own eyes wet after seeing the earnestness in his gaze. Once again she felt the need to change the tone of the conversation to something a little less emotional and a little bit more playful. “Hey listen, your brother seems nice.”

“Who, Lip? Yeah, uh, I guess you hadn’t really met him properly until today, since he’s been off at college and all.” He noticed her smirking expression then and caught up to what she was _actually_ saying. “Ugh, seriously, Mandy? Please, please tell me you’re not gonna start fucking my brother!” He was scowling at her now, his outrage evident on his face.

“Like you’re one to talk, you fuck my brother all the time!”

“I'm _in love_ with your brother, there’s a difference!”

“Yeah well, you weren’t _in love_ at the beginning though, were you? You _were_ just fucking at one point.”

“But you and I didn’t even know each other, this is completely different!”

She looked at him with an unreadable expression for a handful of seconds and then she just erupted in a laugh, shoving at his shoulder in a fit of giggles. “Relax, Jesus! It’s not like I’m _that_ into him. Nothing’s gonna happen. Probably.”

Ian looked at her pointedly and that caused her to laugh some more. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. It just feels weird to me, you’re kinda like my sister and he’s my brother, y'know?”

She put her hands up in surrender even though she was still barely suppressing her laughter. “Hey, I was just trying to bring our families closer together, you know? Cementing Gallagher-Milkovich relations and all that.”

She was full on snickering again, like she'd just said the funniest thing in the world in her opinion. Her laughter would’ve probably been contagious too, if her words hadn’t reminded Ian of the important thing he’d wanted to talk to her about. He tried to steel himself to approach the subject, waiting for her laughter to subside.

“Hey, uh… speaking of cementing Gallagher-Milkovich relations, I, uh… I wanted to ask your opinion on something.” He was biting his lip again and failing to meet her eyes.

“Sure. What’s up?” Her smile was still bright but her expression was growing confused since she sensed his change in demeanor.

“Um, so, I was kinda thinking about the next step in Mick's and mine relationship and uh, well I don’t know if he'd be into it and I know it’s probably way too soon anyway ‘cause we haven’t even been together for a year yet, but um-"

“Ohmygodyouwannamarryhim!” Mandy interrupted Ian’s blabbering, whisper-shouting the sentence excitedly like it was all one word. She looked at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, panting slightly while she was trying to process everything.

Ian looked back at her sheepishly, his mouth slightly parted too. “Um… yeah. Yeah, I wanna marry him,” he said softly but assuredly, nodding his head a few times.

Mandy still looked shocked but after searching his eyes for a few moments, she just launched onto him and threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. “Fuck, I can’t believe it! I'm so fucking happy for you guys.”

She sounded like she was on the verge of tears, and Ian was being flooded with emotion too right now. He chuckled wetly, “Hey, hey, he hasn’t said yes yet!” He waited until she pulled away from his neck and looked her in the eyes, a serious look on his face. “You think, uh… You think he _is_ gonna say yes?”

“Fuck yeah!” She replied instinctively, but then took a few moments to consider. “I mean he's never said shit to me about being interested in marriage, but he fucking loves you, Ian. He's already done plenty of shit I never thought I'd see him do and it was all ‘cause he’s never felt this way about anyone else. Never felt so comfortable around anyone else. And I get it, ‘cause I feel the same way too. Listen Ian, he'd be a fucking idiot not to say yes and I will personally be the one to beat his ass if he even _thinks_ about saying no.”

She was smiling so openly that Ian couldn’t help but feel all the stress leaving his body, as he returned her smile and relaxed his shoulders and all his tense muscles. He knew actually popping the question to Mickey would put him through a lot more stress and nerves, but Mandy’s enthusiasm and reassurance went a long way to assuage his worries that Mickey might reject him, or feel spooked or anything like that. He'd hate for that to happen, since all he truly wanted was to make Mickey happy.

He just wanted a chance to do that for the rest of their lives.

____________________________________________________

A little later, Ian returned to his and Mickey’s bedroom, leaving Mandy alone in the living room to reflect on what she and Ian had talked about. Ian had told her he was going to ask Mickey right away, taking advantage of his still sleepy, semi-inebriated state and hoping for the best. Ian had looked so worried, despite Mandy’s efforts to reassure him, but she understood why. It was a bit of a leap into the unknown, and she definitely couldn’t guarantee a hundred percent that her brother would react positively to the idea of marriage. She was sure he loved Ian and wanted to be with him forever, but that’s not necessarily the same as wanting to get married.

As she waited to find out how the conversation between the two men was going, her mind naturally drifted to a similar situation she had found herself in about ten months earlier. At the start of this whole thing. When Mickey was the one with a question to ask and Ian the one who had the chance to make or break their future with his answer. That time Mickey had been nervous as hell, just like Ian was now, and both men had ended up talking to Mandy before taking that big leap, looking for help and reassurance and maybe a little bit of courage. She hoped she’d done good with both of them, in both of those situations.

That other time, everything had turned out for the best. The two men had been on the same page, Ian just as eager as Mickey to try and build something more out of their one-night stand. Way back when Ian was just a stranger who Mickey had decided not to kick out of his bed. It was now odd for Mandy to imagine a time, not even a year before, when Ian had been a stranger to her and her brother, considering what an important part of their lives he had become since then. And if Mickey wound up saying yes, he’d be an even more important part.

He’d be _family_ , officially.

Mandy’s thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly began hearing Ian’s and Mickey’s voices through their bedroom door, the volume slightly raised.

Fuck it, this time she was actually going to eavesdrop. This was too important, goddamn it.

She scrambled from the couch and went to stick her ear against their door.

She could hear Ian’s voice trembling as he said, “So, I guess what I'm trying to ask is… Mick, will you marry me?”

Mickey was silent for a bit, save for a whispered, “Fuck…” Then suddenly she heard her brother’s voice distinctly again, though it was full of emotion, as he said, “Of course I'll fucking marry you, dipshit. C'mere.”

As soon as she started hearing the sound of kissing she retreated from the door, but her eyes were wet with tears and she was sporting a big toothy smile on her face.

That was it.

Her brother and her best friend were engaged and were soon going to be husbands.

She felt an indescribable happiness at that thought. She loved them both and she couldn’t be more excited for them. They proved to her day after day that true love was real and that if you were lucky enough to find it, it was truly the most beautiful thing in the world.

Yes, she would always be thankful that that redheaded stranger came into their lives all those months ago and never left them again. He was someone they weren’t looking for but had discovered they profoundly needed. Someone who brought them a happiness they never even knew existed.

And thankfully he was here to stay. Forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it folks! Hope you found that to be a fitting conclusion to this little story of mine :)
> 
> come tell me what you thought in the comments!!

**Author's Note:**

> my [tumblr](https://sickness-health-all-that-shit.tumblr.com/)


End file.
